Bowness would give the Lightning what it has lacked behind the bench since assistant Wayne Fleming left the team in April 2011 because of brain cancer -- an assistant with a deep resevoir of NHL knowledge. And general manaer Steve Yzerman, after announcing Lacroix's departure, has said he would look for such a person.

Bowness has been a head coach with the Jets, Bruins, Senators, Islanders and Coyotes, and led the 1991-92 Bruins to the third round of the playoffs. Before landing with the Canucks, Bowness spent five years as a Coyotes assistant, and was head coach for 20 games in 2003-04.

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Bowness would give the Lightning what it has lacked behind the bench since assistant Wayne Fleming left the team in April 2011 because of brain cancer -- an assistant with a deep resevoir of NHL knowledge

Bowness has been named associate head coach. Some will see it as an insignificant difference or just semantics, but it's a different dynamic in terms of responsibilities and expectations from "You and you alone are THE head coach, and this man is merely your assistant." They are now both the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. It's different from previous Cooper's position of sole and final authority.

How different? It'll be interesting to see how this dynamic plays out on the ice, that's for sure...especially times of difficulty